Thursday, July 10, 2008

My sister recently passed away and now I have her teenage son living with me!!! He is 17 and I am 60 OMG!!!! what do I do with a teenager. Don't get me wrong. This young man has always had a special place in my heart and always will. He is a good boy and never a problem, although his sleep habits do puzzle me and BTW.....how much pizza and how many hamburgers can one kid eat with out getting sick of them.....the answer seems to be an infinite number.But now we come to the real dilemma. He reallyREALLYREALLY likes video games. Now I ask you, what does a 60 year old man know about video games........NOTHING!!!! I tell you, I am in a foreign land here.Talk about perfect timing, just yesterday, on the NBC Today Show, they had a feature on the dilemma parents have of knowing what Video games are and are not appropriate for children, teens, and young adults.
So..........Here is an excerpt from What They Like, Inc; the developers of a website that breaks down what is in the various games in terms that a parent can understand.

Parents today face a variety of complex and challenging issues when itcomes to understanding and keeping up with the various forms of popularentertainment that engage their children. That’s why What They Like wascreated.What They Like, founded in 2007 by entertainment and mediaindustry veterans Ira Becker and John Davison, offers helpful resources withinan unbiased, non-judgmental environment that provide parents withunparalleled insight and guidance about the various forms of popularentertainment that engage children. What They Like believes parents are theultimate parental control. Our singular goal is to empower parents to dowhat they do best: parent.What They Like’s first product, What They Play, is the parents guide to video games. As the most comprehensive resource of its kind, What They Play provides parents with expert insight into the themes and content of hundreds of today’s most popular interactive entertainment products. Through thousands of informative video game descriptions and topical feature articles, What They Play empowers parents with everything they need to know to make informed decisions about what games are right for their children."